In wireless communication systems, signals are sent over the air between base stations and mobile units. Each base station typically has an associated coverage area. The base station should be able to transmit and receive signals with any mobile unit that is within its coverage area.
There are times when a mobile unit is unable to receive signals from a base station that it is normally able to receive. These transient outage locations are difficult to diagnose since they occur sporadically. Even if service personnel are dispatched to the transient outage location, since the problem is sporadic data relating to the transient outage can be difficult to obtain.
These transient outage situations can be caused by numerous factors. For example, a transient outage situation can be caused by environmental factors, such as atmospheric conditions or weather. Transient outage situations can also be caused by temporary interference with other base stations, temporary hardware problems within the wireless communication system, or a variety of other factors.
Transient outage situations cause service disruptions to mobile units engaged in calls within the wireless communication system. Service disruption leads to frustrated users and low customer satisfaction.
Therefore, a need exists for a method of reporting and diagnosing transient outage locations and poor RF coverage within wireless communication systems.